Novelish

ISBN: 978-0743298025 | Words: 129,509
Author: Diane Setterfield

I avoided this book for the longest time, despite being rather attracted to the cover, because the title and jacket text both led me to believe it was a collection of short stories wrapped in a narrative of some sort.

The Thirteenth Tale does contain stories, but they’re more like windows into the past (of the fictional world, I mean) and very much a part of everything else that’s going on. Not at all what I’d led myself to believe.

The main character, Margaret, is asked to compile the biography of famed author Vida Winter (who, going from the book’s descriptions, is a sort of J.K. Rowling of adult literature, only more so). Margaret considers denying the request, but at length agrees to hear Vida’s story and is captivated by it.

The plot is good - I wished they wouldn’t have hidden quite so much from the reader, but it’s still well-crafted. The settings of old Gothic-like houses, windswept moors and a second-hand London bookshop are, of course, very appealing to me.

All the Gothic-like houses and windswept moors in the world can’t redeem a book if I don’t like its writing; fortunately, The Thirteenth Tale is one of a very few modern books that sound near-perfect to my ear.^[1]

Everything considered, I’d enjoyed this a lot and I’d enthusiastically recommend it if the premise interests you.

See also:

• Official website
• Excerpt